YU SU Watermelon Woman 12"

Composer, DJ and sound artist Yu Su announces her debut release on Ninja Tune imprint Technicolour. “Watermelon Woman” is her most direct nod to the dancefloor since her 2017 breakout ‘Infi Love’. That track - described by Resident Advisor as a “low-key hit” - was released as part of a 12” on the respected Washington D.C. label Peoples Potential Unlimited. It was followed by the “pensive, gorgeous” (Pitchfork) “Preparations for Departure” EP via NYC’s Arcane, and most recently, 2019’s “泉出通川为谷” (“Roll With The Punches”) EP on Music From Memory imprint Second Circle.

“The whole idea of ‘Watermelon Woman’ comes from the beginning of Herbie Hancock's ‘Watermelon Man’,” she explains. “I wanted to develop it into this endless fun and very Silk Road sounding thing for everyone to enjoy.” As with all her productions, ‘Watermelon Woman’ has a characteristically organic feel to it: “Most of the dance music I’m into and would play out is heavily shaped by sounds of acoustic music, organic instruments and drumming by humans. Since I started producing four years ago I have been trying to figure out how to make music like this, but never knew my shit well enough to be able to do it until now.”

The release comes with Yu Su’s own ‘Dub’ version, which stretches out the original track’s momentum and urgency to a more languid pace. Francis Inferno Orchestra’s ‘Augur Sacrifice Dub’ completes the EP, offering a rhythmic, percussive take on the original.

Following a relocation from her hometown of Kaifeng, China, to Vancouver in 2013, Yu started producing music under the You’re Me moniker with fellow musician Scott Johnson Gailey, before going on to release her solo work under Yu Su. A proficient multi-instrumentalist, she grew up learning classical piano and has cited the likes of Terry Riley, Beverly Glenn-Copeland, Yasuaki Shimizu, and Laurie Anderson as inspirations.

Praised for her diverse and emotive sets as a DJ, she has been booked to play across Europe, the US and Asia in recent years, with stops in 2019 at Dekmantel, Off-Sonar, Nuits Sonores, Kala and more.